Wire-way assembly combination for light fixtures on suspended ceilings



' M. BODIAN WIRE-WAY ASSEMBLY COMBINATION FOR LIGHT Jul 26, 1966 FIXTURES ON SUSPENDED CEILINGS Filed 001;. 4,

I u I FIG. 5.

2 6 6 m a a a 55 w w I 2 4 6 BMHfiM I II H A/vH ll l 7 2 2 I I 2 5 4 H w 6 1 I. l I ll 33% 4 1 85 a 23 4 2 6 I S 6 IN VE N TOR A TTORNE Y 3263 022 WIRE-WAY AssEMisLY COMBINATION FOR {.lgHT FIXTURES ON SUSPENDED CEIL- --Marcus Bodian, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Sunbeam Lighting Company, Los Angeles, Calif., a limited partnership Filed Oct. 4, 1963, Ser. No. 313,927

Claims. (Cl. 174-48) This invention relates to wire-way assemblies for electrical connections to outlet boxes mounted on suspended ceiling structures.

The principal object of the invention is to provide novel and economical wire-way assemblies for carrying electrical leads to light fixtures mounted onsuspended ceilings.

Another object is to provide enclosed means for carrying electrical wiring to lighting fixtures mounted at any position on a suspended ceiling and for supporting .said fixtures. Another object is to provide hollow die-cast sectional members having threaded attachment nuts loosely inset in corresponding cavities formed/between sections.

These and other objects are attained by my invention, which will be understood from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which FIG. 1 is an end elevational view partly in section showing a preferred form of the wiring conduit means of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view partly in section taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIG.1;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is'a fragmentary cross-sectional viewtaken on the line 66Of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the wiring channel 11 is provided, having a removable cover 12 which is attached to the top edges 13 of the channel by spring-fitting turned over flanges 14. The channel 11 is suspended from overhead structural members (not shown) by the tie wire 15 attached to the half-stirrup shaped hanger bracket 16. A lower leg '17 of the hanger bracket 16 may, for greater stability, be attached by the bolt 18 to the web 19 of a structural member 20 of the suspended ceiling when such I structural member is available.

Openings 22 are provided in the bottom plate 23 of the channel 11 at positions where it is desired to carry.

electrical leads to the outlet boxes 24 for fixtures mounted below the ceiling. An inverted Y-shaped yoke 26 has hollow spaces in a tubular neck 27 and in its angularly disposed legs 28 and 29 for carrying electrical wires from the channel 11 to the outlet boxes 24, the tubular neck 27 communicating with the channel 11 by means ,of the openings 22. The yoke 26 is removably attached to the channel 11 by opposed lugs 31 which extend upwardly along both sides 32 and 33 of the channel 11, the lugs being provided with operative set screws 34 which press against said channel sides.

The legs 28 and 29 of the yoke 26 are each provided with out-turned foot lugs-35 and 36 which are provided with threaded openings for receiving the attachment screws 37 for holding the fixture outlet box 24 to said foot lugs. Wire receiving openings .38 are provided in the Outlet box 24 which communicate with the wire carrying openings in the legs 28 and 29.

The yoke 26 is preferably made up of identical die-cast vertical half sections parted on a perpendicular plane Patented July 26, 1966 "Ice bisecting the leg and neck cavities of the inverted Y. Each half section 40 and 41 is provided with aligning lugs 42 and 43 extending outwardly from the outer walls 44 and 45 of the legs 28 and 29, one connecting lug 42 being provided with a pin 46 and the opposite lug 43 with a corresponding hole 47, so that when the halves are juxtaposed, the pin engages .the holes of the opposed parts. The pins may be staked or flared or otherwise distorted to hold the parts together. as an assembly.. A threaded square nut 50 is disposed in a cavity, half 51 and 52 of which is in each of the half sections, for each of the two set screw holding lugs 26, with half cylindrical openings 53 and 54 for receiving the set screws 34 (when the two halves are assembled). In a similar manner square nuts are inserted in half cavities 61 and 62 in the foot lugs 35 and 36, with half cylindrical openings 64 and 65 communicating from said nut cavities to the out-,

side for receiving the attachment screws 37 which support the outlet box 24.

This encased nut arrangement avoids drilling and threading of screw holes in the die'castings, and, because the nuts fit loosely in the cavities, gives a desired flexibility in the positioning of the parts, thus avoiding strain and possible breakage of the die-castings. Much time is saved in assembling the die-cast pieces by the use of the preformed square or other non-rotatable shaped nuts. This method of holding preformed nuts in assembled halfcavities in die-castings, is applicable generally to sectional die-cast parts.

The advantages of my invention will be apparent from the above description. The objectives set forth in the beginning have been attained.

Iclaim:

1. Electrical wiring conduit means adapted for use in mounting and electrically connecting outlet boxes on a ceiling suspended from overhead structural members comprising a horizontal metal channel for enclosing electrical wires, said channel having one or more openings in the bottom thereof along its length for carrying electrical wires out of said channel; means for supporting said channel from said Overhead structural members; an outlet box disposed on a ceiling; a wire-carrying supporting yoke having an upper tubular member disposed for engagement in one of said channel Openings, said yoke having angularly disposed legs communicating with and engaging holes in said outlet box, said yoke being adapted to carry electrical wires from said channel into said outlet box; means for attaching said outlet box to the lower ends of to said channel.

2. The electrical conduit means defined in claim 1 in which a removable cover and the means for holding it to said channel are provided.

3. A wire-carrying yoke for enclosing electrical wires from an opening in the bottom of a wire-supporting channel to an outlet box on a ceiling comprising a yoke including a tubular member and a pair of diverging hollow leg members, said yoke being provided with a pair of ear lugs extending above said tubular member, said lugs being adapted to Operatively hold set screws for engaging said channel, and said yoke having a foot-lug on each of said legs adapted to engage said outlet box.

4. A wire-carrying yoke for enclosing electrical wires from an opening in the bottom of a wire-supporting and screw means for attachment of said legs to said outlet box, said yoke being removably attached to said wiresupporting channel.

5. A wire-carrying tubular yoke member having diverging leg members comprising a pair of half yoke die castings as defined by a perpendicular plane bisecting said tubular member and said leg members, each half yoke casting having two half ear-lugs and two half foot lugs, each of said half-lugs having a cavity adapted to enclose one-half of a preformed non-rotatable threaded nut and having non-threaded half-cylindrical openings leading in and out of said half cavities for enclosing bolts to engage the threads of said nuts when enclosed in said cavities, said two half yoke castings when juxtaposed in open-face to open-face relation forming cavities for loosely enclosing said nuts, and means integral with said half castings for aligning them in juxtaposed face-to-face relation to form said yoke.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1956 Wiesmann 50127 X W. B. FREDRICKS, I. F. RUGGIERO,

Assistant Examiners. 

1. ELECTRICAL WIRING CONDUIT MEANS ADAPTED FOR USE IN MOUNTING AND ELECTRICALLY CONNECTING OUTLET BOXES ON A CEILING SUSPENDED FROM OVERHEAD STRUCTURAL MEMBERS COMPRISING A HORIZONTAL METAL CHANNEL FOR ENCLOSING ELECTRICAL WIRES, SAID CHANNEL HAVING ONE OR MORE OPENINGS IN THE BOTTOM THEREOF ALONG ITS LENGTH FOR CARRYING ELECTRICAL WIRES OUT OF SAID CHANNEL; MEANS FOR CARRYING ELECTRICAL CHANNEL FROM SAID OVERHEAD STRUCTURAL MEMBERS; AN OUTLET BOX DISPOSED ON A CEILING; A WIRE-CARRYING SUPPORTING YOKE HAVING AN UPPER TUBULAR MEMBER DISPOSED FOR ENGAGEMENT IN ONE OF SAID CHANNEL OPENINGS, SAID YOKE HAVING ANGULARLY DISPOSED LEGS COMMUNICATING WITH AND ENGAGING HOLES IN SAID OUTLET BOX, SAID YOKE BEING ADAPTED TO CARRY ELECTRICAL WIRES FROM SAID OUTLET BOX TO THE LOWER ENDS OF MEANS FOR ATTACHING SAID OUTLET BOX TO THE LOWER ENDS OF SAID LEGS; AND MEANS FOR REMOVABLY ATTACHING SAID YOKE TO SAID CHANNEL. 